In 2006, Brittany Raven, an account manager at Adobe software, moved from the Bay Area to Boston to get a taste of East Coast life. She had no friends, so when a co-worker invited her out for drinks after work - and to meet a man the co-worker had a crush on - Raven said yes.

At happy hour Raven was introduced to Belvedere native Josh Burns, the object of the other woman's affection. Josh took an immediate fancy - to Raven.

But she declined to make eye contact all night: "I was not going to jeopardize my only friend in Boston."

The unlikely duo met again at a birthday party not long afterward, where Josh, who worked for a market research firm, pursued Brittany, with her dodging him at every turn.

The co-worker with the crush was watching. "She recognized there was chemistry between us," Brittany said.

In the long run, it didn't matter. Josh and Brittany began dating, taking drives in the country to see autumn leaves, attending Boston Red Sox games and taking in the Boston Marathon, among other things.

Brittany found that she loved Boston, and Josh. He loved Brittany, but didn't love Boston. After nearly three years in Beantown, he decided to move back to California - without her.

He worked briefly for Electronic Arts before becoming associate director for products at 6Waves, a Hong Kong video game company with Bay Area offices.

Within a short time, Brittany also moved back to California, where she continued to work for Adobe.

Josh, an only child, describes himself as analytical, practical and comfortable being alone. Brittany has three sisters and is gregarious.

"We are complementary," he said. "She connects with people amazingly easily. She can talk to anyone, make conversation and figure out things they find interesting - with anyone, anywhere. Her ability to do that is unlike anyone I've ever known. I found I could be myself, and she was herself. Everything was super easy. It worked really well."

"He's really, really nice," she said. "He is also very, very patient and detail-oriented. But Josh's best feature and his worst feature is that he has no concept of peer pressure. Nobody is going to make him do something he doesn't want to do."

That included getting married.

They lived separately in the Marina for several years. One night in December 2010, he suggested going to dinner with his parents, which was a ruse.

On the way out, he pretended to have forgotten something. She balked at going back in, saying they'd be late. Back in the apartment, he got down on one knee, proffered a ring and proposed. What he said is something of a mystery, however.

"I browned out," Josh said. "I literally have no idea what I said. I didn't formally prepare any sort of verbal spiel, but it worked, so I guess that's all that matters."

The couple wed at Old St. Mary's Cathedral in August, with a reception for 200 guests, including his parents, John and Usha Burns of Belvedere, and her parents, Ted and Donna Raven of Fresno, on hand. The reception at the Bently Reserve was catered by McCalls, with five cakes by Cake Work of San Francisco and '80s cover tunes by the band Pop Rocks.